Coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 7, will be one of the most important elections in our lives. If you don’t know who to vote for, look in next week’s Gay & Lesbian Times and check out the GLT’s endorsements, which will be listed along with San Diego Democratic Club and GLBT Vote 2006 endorsements.

When San Diego lost the Republican National Convention, then-Mayor Pete Wilson came up with the term “America’s Finest City,” and many uplifting events took place.

As a then-Republican and proud San Diegan, I agreed with this slogan, but it has not caught on like other cities’ slogans have: New York’s “The City That Never Sleeps,” Los Angeles’ “City of Angeles,” Philadelphia’s “City of Brotherly Love,” San Francisco’s “City by the Bay,” etc.

We all know people do not think “America’s Finest City” when San Diego is brought up. In reality, it’s a self-glorifying slogan and does not sell outside of our city.

Thus, I’ve joined a citizens’ campaign to create a new, world-class image for San Diego that will firmly establish our city as a unique destination for centuries to come: San Diego, “America’s City of Life.”

One of our city’s outstanding citizens, the well-known artist and community activist George Mullen, is leading this campaign, which has the support of leaders and activists throughout our city. I am proud to have joined this effort and will be reaching out to many of you for your support.

For more information, visit www.cityoflife.com.

Next Friday, Nov. 3, there will be a GLBT luncheon with our popular and hardworking Mayor Jerry Sanders, and you’re invited. The event will take place from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. at the beautiful new home of Bob Lehman (chair of GLBT Vote 2006) and Tom Felkner (who serves on Congressmember Bob Filner’s advisory board).

Their new, big Banker’s Hill home has been a San Diego Historical Society “Showcase Home” and has been on the front cover of San Diego Home/Garden magazine.

This luncheon with the mayor is to support him and his campaign to reform City Hall. Thus, it’s a fund-raiser for “Yes on City Propositions B & C.” Personal or business checks will be accepted.

For more information, call (619) 692-1967 or (858) 342-6272.

What a great night for our community. The minute you walked into the door of the grand ballroom of the Marriott Hotel & Marina, you knew The Center’s Gala was going to be the classiest, most beautiful and powerful GLBT event of the year.

I’ve been to the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s galas, and, let me tell you, Saturday night we reached the same level of the prestigious L.A. event and then some. The Center’s Gala attracted our city’s most influential movers and shakers, from our Mayor Jerry Sanders and his gorgeously stunning wife to Congressmember Susan Davis, who looked like a billion bucks, and her handsome and distinguished husband. From corporate sponsors to GLBT youth, it was a grand event indeed and full of the true pride and growing power of our community.

The two major highlights for me were the prolonged standing ovation The Center’s hardworking chief executive officer, Delores Jacobs, received. It was the loudest and longest of the evening, and was a huge vote of confidence and respect for The Center’s leadership. The other highlight was when beloved philanthropist Jim Ziegler received his well-deserved Jess Jessop Award.

Indeed, The Center’s Gala has now rightfully become our community’s premier event of the year. Bravo to everyone who helped put it on and who attended.

As many of you know, I was a lifelong Republican until AIDS came, at which point I reregistered as a Democrat. But my support and vote is nonpartisan. I have a lot of longtime Republican friends and have met many of them these last 40 years on my at times seemingly endless trips to Washington, D.C.

Recently, I had a long conversation with two Republican congressmembers (one who is chair of a powerful committee). Both are gay and closeted. They both told me (as have Republican gay staffers I’ve talked to) that they feel a Republican Party “purge and witch hunt” could be coming after this election, one aimed at the “lavender mafia” of gay Republican congressmembers and GOP staffers.

I urged them to come out of the closet on their own terms, and some may, but countless conversations from our nation’s capital tell me there is a lot of fear right now among numerous gay Republican officials and gay party leaders. The closet is a horrible place for one to live.

On the first day in our state capital, when she was sworn into office, state Assemblymember Lori Saldaña became a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill.

Saldaña, a former teacher who is a strong environmentalist and role model for the Latino community, has been a fighter for the equality of all Californians.

Her Republican opponent, Ralph Denney, who is openly gay, should be stripped of his gay citizenship. Gay man Denney does not support same-sex marriage, while Saldaña does. Gay man Denney is not pro-choice, while Saldana is. Gay man Denney has not taken a stand on the clean-needle exchange program, while Saldaña supports it.

But the most disturbing and, yes, disgusting position that Ralph Denney has taken is his defense of radical right-wing Christian fanatic ex-judge Larry Stirling’s disinfecting his courtroom after a man with AIDS testified. It was an action that was blasted by everyone after it happened, including in a Los Angeles Times editorial, and yet Denney said this action was “prudent.”

Shame on you, Denney. Are you that stupid and ignorant, or are you just Forrest Gump’s twin brother?

Ralph Denney is even facing a write-in candidate from his own party. It’s a sad day indeed when a straight Latino woman’s stances are more pro-GLBT equality than her openly gay opponent’s.

You should hold your head in shame, Ralph Denney.

This past Saturday was a good day for the two District 3 City Council candidates.

Stephen Whitburn was the host of a luncheon with Congressmember Barney Frank at the Park Manor Suites in honor of 52nd Congressional District candidate John Rinaldi, who endorsed Whitburn for City Council. Later that night, Todd Gloria was introduced at The Center’s Gala as the man “born to lead our city.”

City Councilmember Toni Atkins will be attending the next House of Blues meeting with corporate officials.

My Los Angeles political sources tell me that former San Diegan Irma Munoz (a staunch supporter of GLBT civil rights) is being urged to run for an L.A. City Council seat, and she just may do that.

The recent San Diego Union-Tribune article on District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ increasing number of cases asking for the death penalty forgot to really focus on how these kinds of decisions weigh heavily, and are the hardest and most difficult decisions for a district attorney to make.

San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty just became a father, and he was the subject of attacks by a radical right-wing radio shock jock who called his new fatherhood a disgrace because he’s gay. Needless to say, it caused a big uproar and drew total support for Dufty, who will be in San Diego for a San Diego Human Dignity Foundation/Stepping Stone event on Feb. 24.

Next time around, there will be GLBT candidates for some school board seats in San Diego.

Chula Vista Mayor Steve Padilla’s recent re-election campaign fund-raiser at the home of Kevin Tilden and Dr. Philip Diamond was a huge success.

I got a call informing me that U.S. Senator Barack Obama (who graced the cover of Time magazine) may be coming to San Diego in late November for a fund-raiser.

I urge your support of the re-election of Councilmember Frank Tierney in the city of Coronado and also the re-election of the first Latino mayor of Chula Vista, Steve Padilla, who is a hard worker and a former police officer.

When we take back Congress, Congressmember Bob Filner will become chair of the veteran’s committee.

In a historic first, the popular mayor of Tijuana, Jorge Hank Rhon, will be a special guest at the Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project (APICAP) Gala, which is set for Saturday, Nov. 18, at the beautiful Westin Horton Plaza Hotel.

The evening dinner show is titled, “Hope, Service, Compassion,” and once again promises to be as magnificent as the last one.

Mayor Rhon is being talked about in Mexico’s political circles as a future governor of Baja, California.

Tickets and tables are going fast for this event, and respected businessperson Tom Fat and his beautiful wife, Jenny, are the honorary hosts.

For more information, call (619) 757-0197.

Yes, one of San Diego’s “iron chefs,” Chris Walsh of Café W fame, is finally opening another restaurant, and his legions of fans are eagerly anticipating it.

Bite will be opening soon, right next door to Baja Betty’s on University Avenue. We can hardly wait, and I know Bite will become a huge hit because anything Chris Walsh does is always a success.